Manufacture of artificial materials



Patented Oct. 11, 1938 i uNiTEDJsTArE'S No Drawing. Application November 3, 1936, Se-

rial No. 108,966. In Great Britain December 14,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of artificial materials, and particularly improvements in the manufacture of crepe fabrics containing crepe threads of cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose.

Crpe fabrics are generally produced by weaving fabrics containing weft and/or warp threads which are highly twisted, for example .whioh have a twist of 50, or more turns per inch, and subjecting the fabrics after weaving to a treatment, for example a scouring treatment, which causes the highly twisted threads to swell.

It has now been discovered that crepe fabrics having improved properties, and particularly a much improved handle, may be obtained by sub- J'ecting the fabrics before the creping treatment to a dry cleaning operation. Any suitable dry cleaning agent may be employed, for example a halogenated hydrocarbon such as carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethane, tetrachlorethane, trichlorethylene or perchlorethylene or a hydrocarbon such as benzene, petrol or petroleum ether. If the agent tends to swell the threads and cause crping it is preferably diluted with a suitable liquid to a degree sufficient to prevent substantial swelling.

The process of the present invention is particularly valuable in the production of improved crepe fabrics wherein the crepe threads have a basis of cellulose acetate, but it is also applicable to the production of fabrics containing crepe threads of other organic derivatives of cellulose, for example cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose nitroacetate, cellulose acetate-propionate and other esters and mixed esters of cellulose, methyl, ethyl and butyl celluloses and other cellulose ethers and mixed ethers and ether-esters of cellulose, for example ethyl cellulose acetate and oxy-ethyl cellulose acetate. The threads may be made of continuous or discontinuous filaments, e. g. those prepared by the processes of U. S. applications S. Nos. 726,264, filed 18th May, 1934, and 23,804, filed 28th May, 1935. The fabrics may consist solely of threads of organic derivatives of cellulose or they may also contain threads of other suitable textile materials, such for example as cotton and regenerated cellulose.

The crepe threads employed in the production of the fabrics treated according to the present invention may be produced in any suitable manner, for example by dry twisting the threads to a suitable degree. However, threads which have been twisted in the presence of steam or hot water, e. g. as described in U. S. applications S.

. 2,132,463l "MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS Donald 'Finlayson and Ronald Bezant, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Cor-- poration of America, a corporation of Delaware OFF E I Nos. 746,135, filed 29th September, 1934, and 4,085, filed 31st January, 1935, until they have, e. g. a twist of 60 to or more turns per inch, have been found to give particularly valuable crepe fabrics. 5

In order to improve the handle of the fabrics still further, the crepe yarns may be lubricated before weaving with a suitable lubricating agent, for example glycerol, diethylene glycol or other polyhydric alcohol or a methyl, ethyl or other ether thereof, an oil, for example olive oil, or a suitable salt, for example triethanolamine oleate or triethanolamine abietate.

After weaving the fabrics are dry cleaned, for example with one of the agents mentioned above, 15 and are then subjected to suitable treatment to develop a crepe effect, for example by subjecting them to a hot aqueous treatment. Preferably the crping operation is carried out shortly after the dry cleaning process. In this manner, as stated above, crepe fabrics having an improved handle may be obtained. Moreover, their lustre may be improved and made to resemble that of real silk.

The following is an example of the production of a cellulose acetate crepe fabric by the process of the present invention:

Example A cellulose acetate fabric is woven which con- 30 tains as weft a lubricated crepe yarn prepared by twisting in steam to a twist of about 60-80 turns per inch.

The woven fabric is dry cleaned by treatment with perchlorethylene for 15-30 minutes and is then scoured in a dilute soap solution for about A; hour at approximately 98 C. A fabric having a good crpe figure and soft handle is thus obtained.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Process for the production of crepe fabrics containing crepe yarns of cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises subjecting the fabric to a dry cleaning operation without effecting a swelling of said yarns, and then subjecting the fabric to a creping operation.

2. Process for the production of crepe fabrics containing crepe yarns of cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises subjecting the fabric to a dry cleaning operation without efiecting a swelling of sai yarns, said operation being carried out with hydrocarbon, and then subjecting the fabric to 4. Process for the production of crepe fabrics a creping operation.

3. Process for the production of crepe fabrics containing crepe yarns of cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose, said fabric containing a lubricated crepe yarn, which comprises subjecting the fabric to a dry cleaning operation which removes lubricant from said crepe yarn without efiecting a swelling of said yarns, and subsequently subjecting the fabric to a creping operation. 7

containing crepe yarns of cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose which have been twisted in the presence of a hot fluid medium, which comprises subjecting the fabric to a dry cleaning operation without effecting a swelling of said yarns, and subsequently subjecting the fabric to a creping operation. 

